Recap of the Point Pleasant Drill on 08/27

by Scott Magin

(This drill took place on August 27th at Point Pleasant. Full results can be found at www.NYSDrillTeams.com)

Although it felt like the season just began, it was upon us, the final drill. The teams were standing on the Point Pleasant track, which is the final stop on the Western New York tour, and ready to put everything on the line and run their best.

Going into this drill, the Main-Transit Slo-Pokes had a 29-point lead over the Point Pleasant Pea Pickers for the WNY Total Points Championship. However, a lot can happen in one drill. Although there was a lot of ground to make up, no team would ever surrender and give up their opportunity to become the Champions!

The Point Pleasant drill attracts more than just Western New York Teams. The Port Washington Road Runners, Oyster Bay Teddy’s Boys and the Roslyn Highlanders made the trip to run in this drill. There were other Long Island, and past Long Island, residents on hand to watch the drill as well.

The weather report the morning of the drill showed Hurricane Irene was heading towards Long Island and it was inevitable that something was going to be happening since parts of NYC and Long Island were already closed off and/or evacuated. Before the drill began, the Highlanders made a tough decision as a team and began to head for home while they still could. They were all missed and would have definitely changed the final outcome of the drill.

The running order for the day was: Port Washington, Henrietta, Spencerport, Main-Transit, Sheridan Park, Sea Breeze, Point Pleasant, Oyster Bay and North Greece. The clock struck 12:00 and the drill was underway…

The Road Runners set the pace in 3-Man Ladder with a 7.11 and it seemed with them running 1st, they would set the pace in all of the races throughout the day. Henrietta ran a 7.97 while Spencerport congested the ladder and was only able to pull a 10.62. Main-Transit put up their time of 7.49, Sheridan Park ran a 12.80, Sea Breeze received a No Time and Point Pleasant stepped up and ran a 7.47. The Teddy’s Boys used their utilization Tool, Vinny Monaco, in the event and pulled out a 9.43, while North Greece finished the event with an 8.14. Team order of finish was the Road Runners, Pea Pickers, Slo-pokes, Ol’ Henries and the Lil’ Squirts.

It should be noted that although the teams outside of WNY will earn the points for the drill and daily trophies, the points for yearly trophies are reconfigured using only the WNY teams and their times. For example, the WNY points in 3-Man Ladder were distributed as such: Point Pleasant – 5, Main-Transit – 4, Henrietta – 3, North Greece – 2 and Spencerport – 1.

Motor Hook & Ladder Class ‘B’ was started out by Port Washington and a 6.00, followed by the Ol’ Henries with an aggressive run that unfortunately had them dig outside of the safety zone for a No Time. Main-Transit came in with a longer than normal break into the patch which resulted in a conservative 6.31 and the Indians followed up with an 11.89. The Pea Pickers saw the door open again to gain points on the Slo-Pokes and put up a smooth 5.90, while Oyster Bay followed up with a 9.68 and the Lil’ Squirts with an 8.14. The Pea Pickers won the event, followed by Road Runners, Main-Transit, North Greece and Oyster Bay.

Port Washington’s C-Truck coming down the track really woke the crowd up for C-Ladder and allowed them to post a 9.38 to open the event. Henrietta stormed in and was able to complete the event with a 10.14 followed by Main-Transit. The Slo-Pokes were to salvage the deep drop by pulling the ladder back into the patch ahd finishing with a 14.25. Sea Breeze ran an 11.40, with Point Pleasant running an aggressive 9.83 to pull closer while North Greece received a No Time. Port Washington won the event, followed by Point Pleasant, Henrietta, Sea Breeze and Main-Transit.

Total points going into C-Hose:

Port Washington – 14

Point Pleasant – 13

Main-Transit – 7

Henrietta – 5

North Greece – 3

Sea Breeze – 2

Oyster Bay – 1

The water time was set at 4.68 for the hose races and the teams were ready to continue with the day. Danny Salerno brought the Road Runners in very well and set the pace at a 13.40 for the other teams to challenge. Henrietta ran a 16.25 and the Spencerport Red Onions were back on the track after not racing in the ladder events. Joe Muniz drove the C-Truck in and gave Johnny Short the chance for a good hit at the hydrant while allowing Brian and Chris the time to put the nozzle on and finish with a 13.26. The Slo-Pokes ran into another hurdle and finished the event with an 18.73, only to be followed by the Indians and a 23.47. Mark Champion brought the Pea Pickers in aggressively and Jamie hit the hydrant really well. That left Jeff Champion with only one shot to break the hose and get the nozzle on. With the water at that speed, the Pea Pickers blew off and finished with a 17.47. The Lil’ Squirts followed with a 14.38. The Red Onions took first place followed by the Road Runners, Lil’ Squirts, Ol’ Henries and Pea Pickers.

Port Washington was not letting second place, or fast water hold them back. They came down the track and put up a strong 8.58 (1st place) and setting the pace again! Chuck came in hot for Henrietta allowing Josh to hit the hydrant with some authority and giving Eddie the opportunity to hit the target and put up an 8.68 (3rd place.) Spencerport ran aggressively and nipped the Ol’ Henries by a hundredth with an 8.67 (2nd place.) The Slo-Pokes troubles continued with an 11.48 (5th place.) The Indians ran an 11.52 and Point Pleasant a 15.57. Oyster Bay did not complete the event and North Greece ran a 9.55 (4th place.)

Although it had been a rough road for the Main-Transit Slo-Pokes, at this point in the drill they had secured winning the yearly trophy for total points.

Total points going into Efficiency:

Port Washington – 23

Point Pleasant – 14

Henrietta – 10

Spencerport – 9

Main-Transit – 8

North Greece – 8

Sea Breeze – 2

Oyster Bay – 1

The Efficiency contest brings out all the teams back to the track and shows a real team effort. The 9.64 run by the Road Runners didn’t hold for long as the Ol’ Henries topped it with a 9.52, which is the fastest WNY Efficiency time this season. Spencerport’s times have improved at every drill and continued today when they ran a 10.55. Main-Transit ran 12.66, Sheridan Park ran 11.88, Sea Breeze ran 12.51 and Point Pleasant received a controversial No Time for nozzle over the nozzle-line. Oyster Bay ran 11.58 and North Greece finished the event with 10.14. Henrietta won the event followed by Port Washington, North Greece, Spencerport and Main-Transit.

The track for motor pump must have been a little slick, or things got in the way of some people because more than a few teams lost control of the nozzle, or couldn’t gain control because someone slipped along the way. Port Washington ran an 8.26, Henrietta ran a 12.48, Spencerport ran a 10.42. Main-Transit and Sea Breeze both ran Overtime. The Pea Pickers ran a smooth 7.51, while the Teddy’s Boys ran an 11.37 and North Greece finished with an 8.50. Point Pleasant won the event with Port Washington finishing in second, North Greece in third, Spencerport in fourth and Oyster Bay in fifth.

The Bucket Brigade was the final call for WNY and would be the last event until next year. The Road Runners set the bar once again with a 23.06 and they seemed quite happy with their day. Henrietta pulled out a 30.65 followed by Main-Transit, who ran off their pace but still put up a 23.95. Sheridan Park, with only 4 people on the ground, ran a 49.64 and Sea Breeze, with only 3 people on the ground, ran a 38.93. Point Pleasant ran a 26.62, Oyster Bay ran a 38.26 and North Greece finished out the WNY season with a 32.83. The Road Runners took first place followed by Main Transit in second, Point Pleasant in third, Henrietta in fourth and North Greece in fifth. Both Sheridan Park and Sea Breeze were troopers ALL season. Buckets was an event they both could have chosen to not participate in because of manpower issues; however, went to battle knowing they are running for pride and earned a lot of respect from their fellow teams and the fans.

Total points for the day:

Port Washington – 36 Pts.

Point Pleasant – 22 Pts.

Henrietta – 17 Pts.

North Greece – 15 Pts.

Spencerport – 13 Pts.

Main-Transit – 12 Pts.

Oyster Bay – 3 Pts.

Sea Breeze – 2 Pts.

The Road Runners had one heck of a day, placing in first or second in every event. Special thanks to the people and teams that made the journey to Point Pleasant for their 2011 drill, and congratulations to the Main-Transit Slo-Pokes for winning the 2011 Total Point Championship trophy.

Here’s an (unofficial) summary of the yearly trophy winners:

3-Man Ladder - Main-Transit Slo-Pokes

B-Ladder - Main-Transit Slo-Pokes

C-Ladder - Point Pleasant Pea Pickers

C-Hose - Point Pleasant Pea Pickers

B-Hose - Henrietta Ol’ Henries/North Greece Lil’ Squirts (tie)

Efficiency - Main-Transit Slo-Pokes

Motor Pump - Henrietta Ol’ Henries

Buckets - Main-Transit Slo-Pokes

C-Truck Points - Point Pleasant Pea Pickers

B-Truck Points - Henrietta Ol’ Henries

Truck Points - Point Pleasant Pea Pickers

Foot Points - Main-Transit Slo-Pokes

Yearly Points - Main-Transit Slo-Pokes

Recap of the Western NY Drill on 6/18

by Scott Magin

The Western New York racing season began on Saturday, June 18th with Sea Breeze hosting their drill at the Point Pleasant track. Lots of things changed throughout the pre-season and this drill is when it all was put into place. Point Pleasant needed to obtain a new C-Truck and it was nice to see Syosset’s truck, with a little green added to it, on the track again. The Albion Fireflies were close to being able to run in the motorized events this season but they will not be able to compete this season and it is unknown when, and if, they will be able to return. The 2010 WNY Total Point Champs, the Spencerport Red Onions, lost many team members recently and there was not a lot of time to recruit more and get them enough practice time to compete in this drill. It is unknown when their trucks will be on the road this season, if they will at all. Main-Transit was short on members as well, but was able to convince some people to come out of retirement and enjoy the season. There were so many variables and interferences with teams’ practices, especially the terrible weather that hindered them from preparing for the start of the season.

WNY was able to add a new team to the line-up in 2011. The “All Thumbs” from the Sheridan Park Fire Department have once again been resurrected from the past to compete. Although foot races are all they are participating in, the WNY teams are happy to have them on board.

Like most season openers, it took some extra time to get everything squared away and get the drill underway. We started a touch later than expected, but teams were lined up for 3-Man Ladder and the 2011 racing season had officially begun with six teams ready to compete. In attendance we had the North Greece Lil’ Squirts, the Ol’ Henries from Henrietta, the aforementioned All Thumbs from Sheridan Park, the Sea Breeze Indians, the Point Pleasant Pea Pickers and the Main-Transit Slo-Pokes.

3-Man Ladder began the day and the times were unique, to say the least, with each team staking their claim to a particular second. (We had runs of 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12) Henrietta started the season off on the right foot and took the first event of the season with a 7.23.

B-Ladder started with North Greece running a 7.51 and pushing the others to beat it. Henrietta put the ladder up outside of the safety zone and Sea Breeze tried and received an 8.75. It finally came down to Point Pleasant running a 6.92 to take the event, although Main-Transit had a good run but finished with a 7.91.

A lot of people were looking forward to the C-Ladder event. New climbers, upgrades on some motors and unfamiliar trucks speeding down the track can really get your attention. Main-Transit’s motor work brought them to a 3.60 cone time; however the end result was an 11.11. Henrietta pushed this event and really tried to take it with a 10.39, but Syosset’s former C-Truck allowed the Pea Pickers to sneak in and take first place with a 10.34.

The water test happened to take a lot more time than originally planned. After five tests, the water time was official and we were ready to go. However, when the hydrant was opened to wet the area around it, the pump lost its prime, and was never able to get it back to hold. Point Pleasant requested their truck to the track and set up for the drill. Once up and running, a few more tests and we were finally ready to go!

C-hose was a tough run for Sea Breeze. Once the Indians left the hydrant the bar broke and the nozzle-man and breaker were left stranded at the center of the course. The Pea Pickers followed with a 16.35 and the Slo-Pokes with a 13.89 to win the event. After C-Hose, Point Pleasant and Main-Transit were tied overall with 15 points.

B-Hose was completed by all teams; however, this is where the points started to be spread apart. Point Pleasant won the event with a 10.02 followed by North Greece with a 10.51. Sea Breeze ran an 11.67, Henrietta ran an 11.75 and Main-Transit had the nozzle blown away, and ended with a 17.47.

There were three 10’s in Efficiency and although the Slo-Poke’s won the event, the Pea Pickers were still able to take second and only give up a point on their lead. Sea Breeze took third, Henrietta fourth and Sheridan Park was able to take their first point of the new season with fifth place.

Motor Pump was close with three 8’s and a 9. Point Pleasant won the contest with an 8.31 followed up by Henrietta and Main-Transit who ran an 8.52 and a 9.94 respectively.

While the equipment was being set up for Buckets, it was noticed that a rung on the service ladder was cracked and after review it was decided to play it safe and forego the Buckets contest. Buckets was not run at this drill and will be run twice at North Greece’s drill the following week. Better to be safe, than sorry!

The points at the end of the day were:

Point Pleasant Pea Pickers – 29 Pts.

Main-Transit Slo-Pokes – 23 Pts.

North Greece Lil’ Squirts – 19 Pts.

Henrietta Ol’ Henries – 19 Pts.

Sea Breeze Indians – 11 Pts.

Sheridan Park All Thumbs – 1 Pt.

Congratulations to the Pea Pickers for winning the opening drill and also taking the overall motorized points. Buckets being run at the next drill will make up for the cancelled contest here and will decide who will win the overall points for foot contests. The next drill is the WNY Drill at the North Greece training grounds on June 25th beginning at 1:30 PM. See you there!